Between spring and summer classes, Dylan and I decided to do a trip to France and it was fantastic . We flew in to Paris for 2 nights, took the TGV to Bordeaux for one night, then rented a car to drive southwest and all around including the cities of Guéthary , Toulouse, Cazals, Tours, then back to Paris. Paris actually somewhat disappointed the first go-round. I had this romantic picture in my head of what it would be, as I'm heard a lot of people experience. It was certainly grand. Grander than any city I've seen. But it was a big city with lots of traffic... I should've expected this but for whatever reason I was picturing what Bordeaux actually wound up being- charming, romantic, pedestrian streets, flowers everywhere, more bikers, more dogs, lots of greenery... But I certainly enjoyed the strolls (even through the rain), people watching at cafes, and exploring all around. Returning to Paris at the end of the trip left me with a better impression; we stayed
It's been over a year since being back in Florida. I started thinking of some of these comparisons shortly after returning, but now I have even more to add. And it's more comparing the Oregon Coast to this area, of course. If you're new here, we were in Pacific City, OR a little old town of ~1000 people. Now we're in Atlantic Beach, FL. 1. The amount of laundry. I'd say 3 shirts a day in the summer is typical for this Florida heat and humidity. Go for a morning walk, change shirts... Plant some flowers. Gotta change... Workout, definitely change. Shower, dog walk-- one more change before the night's done. 2. The bank and post office are open on Saturdays here! And restaurants don't close for the winter. 3. Florida neighborhood strolls: Seeing 10+ humans on every walk compared to often only 0. I love the community here! Lovely neighbors, gym rats, baristas. Even my parents! The Padres moved 40 minutes away vs 2.5! Yahoo! Pacific City was just so empty. On